Guess What a $132,000 Haircut Looks Like?
Being the president of any developed nation has its benefits. You usually get a dope house, a retinue of armed bodyguards, and advanced screeners of whatever the most popular show in your country happens to be. And if you're French leader François Hollande, you also get an immensely well-compensated hairdresser.
According to Foreign Policy, Hollande's barber—a man identified only as Olivier B.—makes about $11,000 a month (or $132,000 a year) to keep the French president's thinning locks in tip-top shape. Imagine how much it would cost for a full head of hair.
The contract was revealed this week in the stinging French satirical newspaper Canard Enchainé, but further investigation found out it wasn't a joke: The barber regularly cuts and coifs Hollande's hair in France, but he also travels with him to keep the presidential scalp in check when he's on diplomatic missions. As a government employee, Olivier is also entitled to other benefits, including a housing allowance.
News of the contract sent peals of laughter through France on Wednesday, where Hollande has earned some of the lowest approval ratings a French president has had in modern history. Paying six figures to get your hair done every year isn't a good look for a man who campaigned as a champion of the people (real guys know they can do their hair at home, damnit!), and French citizens have seized on the opportunity to skewer this tonsorial largesse.
Hollande does have two notable defenders, though. His ex-wife, Valerie Trierweiler, tweeted, "Let's be fair: [he] was not aware of the hairdresser's salary," adding that he was angry when he found out how much Olivier makes in a year. (Hollande's own annual salary is just under $200,000.)
The president's spokesman also pointed out that someone has to take care of Hollande's hair. "I can understand the questions, I can understand that there are judgments," he told reporters. "Everyone has their hair done, don't they?"
Up Next: Hair-Product Secrets of GQ Editors
Up Next:
Related Stories for GQPoliticsHairGrooming